Cable raceways are used to support and enclose electrical and communication cables and are typically provided on an existing wall within a structure. The raceway includes a U-shaped raceway body open on one side and mountable to a wall or ceiling structure for enclosing cables to service a work area. Usually the raceway body defines at least one wireway for accommodating power and/or communications cables. Often a longitudinal divider wall is attached to the interior the raceway body such that the raceway body is divided into two wireways which can be used to separate power and communications cables. A bottom wall of the U-shaped raceway body is generally attached to a wall structure along which the raceway extends. Typically a raceway cover panel is attached to the raceway body for enclosing the open front side of the U-shaped raceway body. The wireways may be provided with retainer clips to support the cables.
Electrical outlet devices are typically mounted in a cable raceway body and connected to one or more cables passing through the raceway. Such an electrical or data/communications device is typically supported on a device plate mounted to the raceway body in a gap or space between cover panels. Such device plates usually define one or more openings for wires to pass through for connecting the electrical outlet device to the cables or wires passing through the raceway. Accordingly, prior art device plates for use with a raceway are typically designed for mounting electrical devices to the raceway and providing access to the cables carried thereby.
Although various types of communications cables such as telephone lines, cable television and network access cables are also carried by raceway structures, any larger devices such as wireless access enclosures for example, must be separately mounted to the wall or ceiling structure, and the connecting cables run to that enclosure via a branch raceway. Such communications devices often include one or more female ports for coupling the device to a network cable, a telecommunications cable or another device. Access points used throughout a structure also typically include a female port coupled to a network cable or telecommunications line for coupling a communications device thereto via a jumper cable having male couplers at opposing ends thereof.
Prior art device plates for use in mounting electrical devices to a raceway do not accommodate the couplers that are normally required with communications devices. One object of the present invention is to provide a device plate for mounting communications devices to raceways including raceways of the type that provide separated wireways for power and data/com cables and wiring.